But organizers for the Woodstock 50 festival set insist the show will go on. That was the message in the wake of Watkins Glen International racetrack announcing this week that it was no longer hosting Woodstock 50.

“We confirm that we will not be moving forward with Watkins Glen as a venue for Woodstock 50," Woodstock 50 principal Gregory Peck said in a statement. "We are in discussions with another venue to host Woodstock 50 on Aug. 16-18 and look forward to sharing the new location when tickets go on sale in the coming weeks.”

Underscoring everything is time and the manner in which Aug. 16 is quickly approaching. The clock is ticking for Peck, Ulster County resident Michael Lang and the Woodstock 50 team, as there is a little more than two months left to stage the festival for 75,000 people.

Woodstock 50 is being held to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Fair. Jay-Z, Miley Cyrus, the Lumineers,Santana and dozens of other acts are scheduled to perform.

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Organizers have announced the lineup for the festival, 50 years after the original Woodstock changed the face of music. On tap for Day 1: John Fogerty, who appeared at the original Woodstock festival with Credence Clearwater Revival. Frazer Harrison, Getty Images

“Watkins Glen International terminated the site license for Woodstock pursuant to provisions of the contract,” a statement from the racetrack said. “As such, WGI will not be hosting the Woodstock 50 Festival."

Also on Monday, Woodstock 50 lost another festival partner.

"CID Entertainment had been engaged to provide enhanced camping, travel packages and transportation for Woodstock 50," said a statement from Dan Berkowitz of CID. "Given developments, we can confirm that CID is no longer involved in Woodstock 50 in any capacity."

The racetrack's announcement places further in doubt the festival being held to mark five decades since the 1960s counterculture gathered in Sullivan County. Festival organizers have been locked in a legal battle with former financial partner Dentsu Aegis, as they argue which entity has control over the event and funding for it.

And this latest development in the Woodstock 50 saga represents a haunting case of history repeating itself.

Woodstock 50 organizer Michael Lang was a co-founder and co-producer of the original Woodstock festival. Fifty years ago, the Ulster County resident and his then-partners lost the Orange County site for the concert with just a month remaining until its scheduled start.

Shut out of the Town of Wallkill, Lang and his three partners landed on their feet in Sullivan County, on land owned by farmer Max Yasgur.

But in the wake of two court decisions, with a third case pending regarding the withdrawal by Dentsu of $18 million from a festival account, the clock is ticking toward Woodstock 50 and Lang seems to be running out of options as he runs out of time.

Hurdles to putting on show

Insight into issues that he is facing at the festival site can be found in court papers dated May 30 that were filed by Dentsu. The state Department of Health May 10 identified the following outstanding items regarding the festival, according to Dentsu:

The state Environmental Quality Review Act process had yet to be fulfilled.

Entities that would build site infrastructure and organize Woodstock 50 had yet to be identified.

Updated design documents from a professional engineer were needed.

The Schuyler County Sheriff, state police and state Department of Transportation needed to approve the traffic control plan

Approval of a security plan was needed from the sheriff and state police

Civil defense aspects needed approval

Department of Health approval was needed regarding the state’s sanitary code and handling of wastewater.

Woodstock 50 initially targeted a crowd of 150,000, but that was cut in half. And tickets were supposed to go on sale April 22, but that was postponed indefinitely while Woodstock 50 worked to secure a temporary mass-gathering permit.

Legal argument ongoing

Dentsu, and its Amplifi Live division, had been working with Woodstock 50 to stage the golden anniversary concert. But Dentsu on April 29 withdrew its support for Woodstock 50 and attempted to cancel the festival. After Dentsu withdrew, production company Superfly dropped out on May 1.

Woodstock 50 took Dentsu to state Supreme Court and Judge Barry Ostrager on May 15 ruled the financial company was under no obligation to continue with the anniversary concert or return $18 million it removed from a festival account when it left. But Ostrager also said Dentsu could not cancel the festival outright.

In the wake of Ostrager's ruling, state Supreme Court Judge Andrew Borrok rejected Woodstock 50's attempt to force Dentsu to back off from interfering with the festival. Woodstock 50 also appealed Ostrager's ruling that said Dentsu did not have to return the $18 million.

That appeal is pending and through it all, Lang and the Woodstock 50 team have remained defiant, insisting that the festival would proceed as planned.